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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — in music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bank — of a river
  12. band — a music group
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. scale — size or range
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fall — the season
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com